Your call, whispered Ray.
Steady, prone, I knew the distance, and the air is dead.
Still, the elk was far, and quartering too steeply.
Light-framed hunters appreciate the mild recoil of the 6.5 Creedmoor, such as these hunters are on southern Africa’s veldt.
The red sun had all but submerged, when, unexpectedly, he turned.
I pressed the trigger.
The bull sun-fished, sprinted, then crashed into the sagebrush.
Six years ahead of Austria’s 6.5×54 M-S, Sweden’s 6.5×55 dates to 1894. It’s still popular in Europe.
That may have been the first elk shot with the cartridge.
Now, 14 years after its debut, Hornadys 6.5 Creedmoor has accounted for many thousands of beasts worldwide.
Its about time 6.5s got some love.
The first 6.5 cartridge of note stateside was the .256 Newton. Introduced in 1913, it hurled .264 bullets fast as a 6.5 Creedmoor!
They date to the early days of smokeless powder.
A century ago, explorers Frederick Courtney Selous and W.D.M.
In North America, Charles Sheldon packed a 6.554 rifle for moose and brown bears.
Hornady’s Dave Emary scored here using the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge that he developed with Dennis Demille.
Italy adopted the6.552 Mannlicher-Carcano in 1891.
A year later the rimmed 6.3x53R Mannlicher was picked up by Dutch and Romanian army units.
Sweden equipped soldiers with its own 6.555 in 1894.
The 6.5 Creedmoor, based on the .30 T/C case, debuted in 2008. It’s now a top-selling rifle round worldwide.
Other 6.5s pre-dating the Great War would wilt, as more powerful rounds courted sportsmen.
One of these, the 6.568 Schuler, arrived from RWS in 1939.
It sent 123-grain bullets at 3,150 to 3,450 fps, depending on whos talking.
This cartridge offers mild recoil, fine accuracy, flat arcs, and hard hits far away. Many mule deer hunters adore the 6.5 Creedmoor.
What could I say?
Politely, I demurred.
We reeled in a football field.
The author took a large eland using the Hornady Superformance 120-grain GMX load shown above. Image: Hornady
Again he insisted I shoot.
The ram was still 400 meters off.
Too far, I said.
Brilliant marketing — and results like this — have propelled the excellent 6.5 Creedmoor to stardom.
Throwing up his hands, he shooed me on.
Fortune smiled; I made a killing hit at 200 steps.
Meanwhile in the U.S., all the chips were on .30s.
The.30-40 Kragacceded to the.30-06in Army ranks, as deer hunters warmed to the .30 W.C.F.
But Newton battled many headwinds getting his rifles and cartridges to market.
Competition from Savages .250, Winchesters .270 and the .257 Roberts ate into demand for 6.5s.
Despite a tide of surplus Swedish Mausers, no U.S. firm loaded 6.555 ammo until Federal relented in 1991.
Bringing Up the Rear
A stateside counterpart to the 6.568 appeared 20 years after the Schuler.
Winchester announced its .264 Magnum, third in a line of short belted magnums, in 1959.
In 62 Remington upstaged it with an almost identical 7mm round, marketed with 150- and 175-grain bullets.
So did the belted, short-action 6.5 Rem.
Mag., a ballistic twin to the .270, unveiled in 1966.
It appeared in Models 600 and 660 carbines, 1965 to 71.
But it rarely appeared in hunting circles.
Norma and Black Hills would later supply factory loads.
AR-15s inspired other 6.5 rounds.
The 6.5 Grendel evolved from the Benchrest clans 6.5 PPC.
It reaches 2,500 fps with 129-grain bullets.
Bill Alexander and Arne Brennan so chambered a barrel in 1998 and proved its potential.
With a bolt rifle, Brennan used the Grendel to drill a 600-meter group less than 1.2 inches across!
The Grendels 1.52-inch case is shorter than the .223s, but loaded length is the same.
A tide of frisky 6.5s welcomed the 21stcentury.
The .260 Remington arrived in 2002.
A necked-down .308, it trailed the versatile 7mm-08, whose popularity certainly affected .260 sales.
Earlier, I was handloading the 6.5 Redding wildcat (on the .308 hull, with 30-degree shoulder).
Not to be outdone, Weatherby necked its most popular full-length magnum to .264 to yield the 6.5-.300 Wby.
It was a collaboration with competitive ace Dennis Demille, Dave Emary told me upon its 2008 debut.
Dave is also an accomplished high-power shooter; 14 years ago he was Hornadys senior ballistician.
My colleague Joe Thielen helped a lot with the project.
In retrospect, Dave recalls a sluggish start in Creedmoor sales.
But once we advertised hunting ammo, they took off.
Our marketing was spot on.
Ballistically, the 6.5 Creedmoor performs about like a .270 at normal hunting ranges.
Modest recoil and the accuracy of Hornady factory loads boost the Creedmoors image.
Even entry-level rifles nip teeny groups.
I found its limit.
The eland had taken my 120-grain GMX in the near lung.
The angle was near-perfect, my shot sent to the off-shoulder.
Surely it would be a short trail.
But the great splayed prints led uphill, into rock and heavier thorn.
An hour passed; bloodstains became smaller, less frequent.
We were losing the track.
I scrambled ahead and glimpsed the bull lunging up the far side.
Jamming the rifle onto the sticks, I fired quickly.
I flicked the bolt, shot again as the bull vanished.
We found him dying.
The bullet had sliced the dorsal aorta near the spine.
The first hit was good, but eland can weigh a ton.
Flat flight and accuracy arent alone sufficient to kill such beasts.
You need a big missile.
In 2018, a decade after the 6.5 Creedmoors debut, Hornady introduced a racier sequel.
It has a .532 head, same as belted magnums.
As on the Creedmoor, the shoulder lies well back, to accommodate long bullets in short actions.
Soon thereafter we reconfigured the RCM case.
The 6.5 PRC holds 62 grains of water, 9.5 grains more that the Creedmoors.
At 2.955 inches, the loaded round is .13 longer.
It drives a 143-grain ELD-X bullet at 2,960 fps.
Supersonic reach is 1,650 yards, edging the Creedmooors 2,700 fps exit and supersonic range of 1,470 yards.
The 6.5 PRC is available in hunting loads.
Ive used it on game as big as elk.
From stiff handloads, the .264 Magnum rifle was sending bullets long as knitting needles.
At last, my pal caught a brief wink and wiggle in his spotting scope.
Your bullets took a long time figuring out the wind, he drawled.
Can we leave now?
FAQ on the 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge
What Caliber Is 6.5 Creedmoor?
The 6.5 Creedmoor has a bullet diameter of .264 or 6.72mm.
It derives the 6.5 designation from the diameter of the rifle land which is .256 or 6.5mm.
How Far Can a 6.5 Creedmoor Shoot?
A 6.5 Creedmoor rifle can accurately shoot past 1,200 yards.
At that distance, the shooter needs to calculate substantial bullet drop along with environmental factors to make hits.
The effective range for deer hunting with the 6.5 Creedmoor is closer to 500 yards.
What Is a 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Good For?
The 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge and rifle are good for competition, hunting and precision shooting.
Some hunters even use it for long-range varmint control.
These rifles have also proven to be very popular in Precision Rifle Series competitions.
What Size Suppressor for 6.5 Creedmoor?
For the 6.5 Creedmoor, any .30-caliber rifle suppressor will work extremely well.
Last update: October 4, 2023
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